The Nigerian army handed over more than 400 women and children to authorities on Monday, after they were freed from captivity by the jihadist group Boko Haram earlier this year in Borno state (northeast).

Since 2009, a jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and later by its rival, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in the northeast of Africa’s most populous country.

Mass kidnappings, often followed by ransom demands, are a common tactic used by the Islamist fighters.

The military announced on Sunday that about 360 people had been freed over the weekend, not through Boko Haram’s release, but via an operation carried out by armed forces based on intelligence.

Another 82 captives were freed two to three weeks ago, according to Babagana Umara Zulum, governor of Borno state, bringing the total number of rescued former captives to around 434.

The victims had been abducted from the village of Ngoshe, located less than 10 kilometres from the Cameroonian border in the Gwoza hills, a Boko Haram stronghold. The area had previously been repeatedly attacked by Islamist fighters.

“We thank Almighty Allah for this rescue,” said one of the freed women, Hassana Buba, 43, at the Pulka displacement camp where the former captives were handed over to local authorities. “We are very grateful and are also celebrating,” she added.

Authorities deny paying ransoms, although analysts say it is a common practice, both by the government and by victims’ families.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, about $1.66 million was paid in ransoms to various armed groups in Nigeria, including jihadists, “bandits” and separatists, according to a report by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consulting firm.